UPDATE (3-OCT): The Thunderstorm 24-4 Dates are November 06-07 2024 for Industry Observers. The Innovation & Modernization (I&M) office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) is inviting industry investors and business advisors to Thunderstorm 24-4 "Expeditionary Operations". The Thunderstorm series facilitates the exploration of emerging solutions in a field environment while fostering engagement between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the defense innovation ecosystem. Including investors and advisors promotes collaboration that can accelerate the transition of promising prototype technologies into fieldable solutions. Thunderstorm 24-4 is being executed in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. WHERE : Thunderstorm 24-4 will take place near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Details will be provided upon receiving an invitation to attend. WHEN: November 6-7, 2024 (8:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST). WHAT: Thunderstorm is a DoD sponsored series of technology discovery events. Each Thunderstorm provides opportunities for developers to showcase their solutions in a field environment for Government attendees to discover new technologies and capabilities. Thunderstorm 24-4 will focus on developers showcasing emerging solutions that enable rapid deployment, enhanced operational awareness, and self-sustainment of military forces in contested or remote environments. Technologies will include robust and extended range communication systems, artificial intelligence mission planning and orchestration, manned and unmanned aerial systems, last-mile logistics capabilities, expeditionary medical care solutions, and advanced manufacturing and energy generation systems. The overall classification of the event is UNCLASSIFIED. WHO: Thunderstorm 24-4 is an invitation only event. Through this RFI, Innovation & Modernization will invite a limited number of industry observers to attend. Venture capitalists and small business advisors are examples of the industry observers being sought. Third‑party technology developers are not the targets of this invitation. Thunderstorm is otherwise limited to U.S. Government personnel and their representatives, along with select technology developers showcasing their current prototype solutions (selected through a previous RFI: IM-20240627-W-Thunderstorm_24-4). Thunderstorm 24-4 is sponsored by I&M and conducted in close coordination with the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, as well as additional DoD stakeholders. The Applied Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University supports the execution of Thunderstorm 24-4 as directed by I&M leadership. HOW: Organizations interested in attending as industry observers must provide key information as instructed below. The number of industry observers may be limited based on venue constraints, and determined on a first-come basis amongst interested parties that meet the basic qualifications for attendance. There will be a limit of one (1) representative per organization . All requests to attend must be submitted by 5:00 PM EST on October 11 , 2024 , to be considered . Interested parties will need to email the required information to the Innovation & Modernization office (email:
[email protected]) if they wish to be invited to attend Thunderstorm 24-4. Please use the Subject Line " Thunderstorm 24-4: Industry Observer Request ". Required information to provide includes: Attendee Name (First & Last) Attendee email address and phone number Attendee Nationality Organization Name Organization Headquarters Organization website Brief Description (<100 words) about the organization, and their role supporting small businesses and non-traditional innovators. If invited to attend Thunderstorm 24-4, individuals must comply with all Thunderstorm 24-4 rules. This includes, but is not limited to, procedures surrounding visitor access and sharing of information. Failure to comply with all rules in a timely fashion may result in an individual having their invitation rescinded. WHY: Innovation & Modernization drives efforts to compete with adversaries by developing capabilities that support the joint Warfighter. Thunderstorm showcases provide opportunities for the DoD to identify novel approaches to operational challenges and clearly communicate with technology developers to influence prototype development. Innovation & Modernization recognizes the need to foster a more vibrant innovation ecosystem that brings in partners that can further facilitate cross-collaboration and generate additional opportunities for accelerating the development of promising prototypes into fieldable capabilities. THIS IS AN INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. This announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.